The Loire Cycle Route. Mike Wells

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      Most accommodation has secure storage for cycles, like this cycle garage in Gien (Stage 14)

      Camping

      If you are prepared to carry all the necessary equipment, camping is the cheapest way of cycling the Loire. The stage descriptions identify many official campsites but these are not exhaustive. Camping may be possible in other locations with the permission of local landowners.

Food and drink

      Where to eat

      There are thousands of places where cyclists can eat and drink, varying from snack bars, crêperies and local inns to Michelin-starred restaurants. Locations of many places to eat are listed in stage descriptions, but these are by no means exhaustive. Days and times of opening vary. When planning your day, try to be flexible, as some inns and small restaurants do not open at lunchtime. An auberge is a local inn offering food and drink. English-language menus may be available in big cities and tourist areas, but are less common in smaller towns and rural locations.

      When to eat

      Breakfast (petit déjeuner) is usually continental: breads, jam and a hot drink. Traditionally lunch (déjeuner) was the main meal of the day, although this is slowly changing, and is unlikely to prove suitable if you plan an afternoon in the saddle. Most restaurants offer a menu du jour at lunchtime; a three-course set meal that usually offers very good value for money. It is often hard to find light meals/snacks in bars or restaurants, and if you want a light lunch you may need to purchase items such as sandwiches, quiche Lorraine or croque-monsieur (toasted ham and cheese sandwich) from a bakery.

      For dinner (dîner) a wide variety of cuisine is available. Much of what is available is pan-European and will be easily recognisable. There are, however, national and regional dishes you may wish to try. Historically, French restaurants offered only fixed-price set menus with two, three or more courses. This is slowly changing and most restaurants nowadays offer both fixed-price and à la carte menus.

      What to eat

      France is widely regarded as a place where the preparation and presentation of food is central to the country’s culture. Modern-day French cuisine was first codified by Georges Escoffier in Le Guide Culinaire (1903). Central to Escoffier’s method was the use of light sauces made from stocks and broths to enhance the flavour of the dish in place of heavy sauces that had previously been used to mask the taste of bad meat. French cooking was further refined in the 1960s with the arrival of nouvelle cuisine, which sought to simplify techniques, lessen cooking time and preserve natural flavours by changing cooking methods.

      By contrast, traditional cooking of the Auvergne is rustic fare, mostly combining cheaper cuts of pork with potatoes and basic vegetables, including soupe aux chou (cabbage, pork and potato soup), potée Auvergnate (hotpot of pork, potatoes and vegetables) and truffade (cheese, garlic and potato pancake). The crisp mountain air of the higher parts of the Auvergne is perfect for drying hams and sausages. One particular speciality is lentilles vertes, green lentils from Le Puy-en-Velay used in soup or served with duck, goose or sausage dishes. Local cheeses include bleu d’Auvergne, Cantal and St Nectaire, while tarte aux myrtilles is a traditional dessert made with bilberries from the mountains.

      Burgundy in central France is famous not only for its eponymous red wine but also for beef from Charolais cattle, poultry from Bourg-en-Bresse, mustard from Dijon and cheese made with the milk from Salers cattle. This is reflected in regional cuisine, particularly bœuf Bourguignon (beef slow-cooked in red wine) and coq au vin (chicken casseroled in red wine). Other specialities include escargots à la Bourgogne (snails in garlic and parsley butter) and lapin à la moutarde (rabbit in mustard sauce).